Neem is an insecticide

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Monarch butterflies are affected by neem.

Folks, a friendly reminder that Neem is an insecticide. Yes, it is derived from natural ingredients, as many insecticides are, but it is an insecticide, an effective one, and it kills many insects, including butterflies.

Monarch caterpillars, like other caterpillars, can be killed by neem.

Neem is great for killing a variety of soft-bodied insects through a variety of mechanisms (they can no longer reproduce, they cannot eat, they cannot molt, etc.). The same features that make it great for things like controlling coddling moths on fruit trees will make it great at killing Monarch butterflies, Swallowtail butterflies, Luna moths, and the like.

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That “organic weed killer” meme

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Do NOT use this.

My response to that familiar “organic weed killer” meme became a popular post on Facebook, so I’ve added a bit of information, links, and posted it here as well.

Please, stop encouraging people to use the vinegar and soap mix because
1. It won’t kill most weeds, and,
2. It does kill beneficial insects (including bees).

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Myth and mystery of cover crops

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Shredded leaves keep soil in place, add nutrients to the soil and make a great, soft path material to keep weeds down. You can even alternate leaf-variety for patterns.

Cover crops are popular. People claim cover crops will add nitrogen to your soil (sometimes, sort of, but not much), they’ll protect the soil (kind of, sometimes) and prevent weeds (or they’ll act as weeds).

Let’s take a deeper look at this now that the end of the season is upon us.

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Fall garden composting

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When it comes to composting the remnants of your vegetable garden – the long tomato vines, the lengths of bean vines and similar items, the easiest solution is to just toss them whole in the compost pile.

That mess ‘o vines, however, will be difficult to turn and slow to decompose. With a few minutes more, there are better ways.

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Sneak some zucchini on your neighbor’s porch day is August 8!

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Just a friendly reminder that August 8 (Wednesday) is Sneak Some Zucchini on Your Neighbor’s Porch Day. (I believe cucumbers are acceptable as well.)

The holiday was borne out of the plant’s prolific and ginormous growth habit, and the perceived limited uses. Truth is that it can be prepared many delicious ways or frozen for later uses, such as in breads and cookies. Even so, it is of course possible to have much more than you want.

2018 is actually the first year we’re growing zucchini at Allium Fields, though we’ve grown it in client’s gardens. Nothing against the squash, but we have so many plants we’re more interested in growing/eating and inevitably someone(s) would give us some, so we never planted it. This year we have and we’ve already gotten some good dishes from it.

Leftovers get shredded in the food processor and placed in freezer bags, in 2 cup measures, so we can make our favorite zucchini chocolate chip cookies and bread. Continue reading →

Onions and rain

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We grow Cortland onions from seed. They get sown indoors in February, and it’s nice to have something growing that early, a harbinger of the season to come.

Onions did well this year!

As noted in an earlier Facebook post, we’re getting rain daily. That’s great for growing lawn and carrots and other items, but not great for drying onions outdoors. After the onions “flop,” or bend over at the stem, they’re ready to harvest within the next few days. Onions that have sent up a flower stalk should also be harvested, and they’re the ones that should be eaten first as they won’t keep well.

Rain throws a bit of a wrench into the harvesting schedule though.

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